Birthday Lunch at Ariel’s Grotto

One of the highlight’s of our Disneyland trip was LittleMiss C’s birthday lunch at Ariel’s Cove. The trip’s main goal was to fulfill our birthday girl’s wish to meet all the Disney Princess and have them sign her book.

You enter the main door and then descend at a spiral staircase into the grotto restaurant. Before you get seated, your party will have a chance to meet Princess Ariel and have a photo taken with her.

The restaurant is beautiful adorned with jellyfish like chandeliers and ocean mural walls. Windows face the water area of the park which provides a natural light that is great for taking photos.

As soon as we got seated, bread and vegetable sticks with dips arrived shortly. LittleOnes got themselves busy with coloring books, paper crowns and spending quality time with their Ninang Athens who flew from NY to LA to spend time with us.

Guest’s can choose from 6 mains from their lunch special, each dish is served with either a salad or soup and dessert. (L-R): Grilled Lobster Tail Salad, Red Oak-Smoked Honey-Whiskey Barbecue Tri-Tip, Whozits and Whatzits Fries & Nuggets, Fresh Catch of the Day. You can check restaurant’s menu here.

We have read mix reviews on the food with some even saying it’s utterly a waste of money and that dining their was a total rip-off. I totally DISAGREE, everything that we ordered from the lunch menu was delicious. Portions was just right and seasoned well. Michael our server that afternoon even went out of his way to give kids some more fries when he noticed that LittleMiss really liked them. He also asked us to stay a little longer after dessert for a surprise.

Shortly after our food was served, a royal trumpeter announced the arrival of some special guests. Each of the Princesses were announced separately and did their rounds visiting guests table. Royal guests change day to day, that afternoon we met…

Rapunzel: LittleMiss absolutely love her hair and pointed out that she has flowers on her crown as well.

Mulan: Kuya V was delighted to meet Mulan, his class sang “Reflections” from her movie for school concert. Athens and I decided to have our photo taken with her as well.

Tiana: She was so tall that I had to carry LittleMiss.

Cinderella: The Princess that introduced her to the world of fairytales and have a special spot in our hearts.

LittleMiss was definitely over the moon with the experience, she kept looking at her autograph book with a big smile. “So many Princess came to my birthday!”

Just as she taught the surprise was over, a treat was delivered to our table.

“I wish to see all the other Princesses and have my birthday in Disneyland again.”

If you have a little girl who has the same wish I recommend reserving a table at the restaurant, doing so gives you an assurance of meeting 5 Disney Princesses. Dining here would definitely be considered a splurge but if you are not a frequent visitor this is an experience that we recommend you do.

Our experience at Ariel’s Grotto is a special moment we will always treasure.

Hi, my name is Abigail a stay at home Mama of two LittleOnes and currently residing in Dubai, UAE since 2009.
This is my little space online where I share activities, places we've been, food we enjoy and snippets of our daily expat life.
‘Cuddles and Crumbs’ is a combination of the two main things I share on this blog: cuddles (family) and crumbs (food).

The name ‘Cuddles and Crumbs’ is a combination of the two main things I share on this blog: cuddles (family) and crumbs (food). The blog had a few name changes over the years – nappytales (2008) to mynappytales (2010) to cuddlesandcrumbs – I do think that now I have finally found the right name that truly reflects what I am passionate about.